“Jordan’s influence on the world is not just restricted to his exploits on the court – he was the first athlete to transcend sport and become a brand in his own right” (Jones)
Ronaldo
Nike’s deal with Jordan changed sports marketing forever and paved the way for footballers to make millions from sponsorships (Jones).
In 2016, Ronaldo signed a lifetime “Michael Jordan style” sponsorship deal with Nike. This made him the first footballer to follow in the footsteps of Jordan. Without the Jordan brand, Ronaldo’s deal would not have existed in the format it does (Jones).
David Beckham
Michael Jordan is known for the iconic number of 23. Jordan’s favorite number was actually 45 because it was his older brother’s basketball number. He halved it to 23, so he could start his journey with his own number. His brand image was created around this iconic number (Jones).
When David Beckham signed for Real Madrid in 2003, he had to take on a new number, as his chosen number was already taken by another player. He chose the number 23 because he looked up to Michael Jordan and idolized how he had revolutionized the sports marketing industry. The “Jordan Effect” had impacted Beckham, as he hoped to strategically align himself with the successful brand image of Michael Jordan through the association of jersey numbers (Jones).
“The choice of 23 represented a perfect storm that brought the good association of Jordan to football, elevating the icon yet further with the first tentative steps into the game” (Jones)
Neymar
Neymar, the famous Brazilian soccer player, was also struck by the “Jordan Effect”. Neymar had been a long time admirer of the basketball legend and knew the value of marketing the Jordan Brand provided.
In 2016, Neymar became the first athlete across all sports to feature the Jumpman on his own performance product with the release of the NJRx Jordan Hypervenom II. The design was inspired by the Jordan V, Neymar’s favorite Jordans. It was marketed as one of the first cross-sport collaborations (Jones).
The Neymar collaboration was the definitive step towards Jordan’s direct and impactful influence on the sport of soccer (Jones).
The Jordan Effect clearly impacts the marketing and branding strategies of professional soccer players. The prestige of the Jordan brand was a goal that these players strived to reach, and following in the footsteps of the greatest basketball player of all time was a way to increase their marketability. The world of professional soccer became much more commercialized after the Jordan brand entered the space, as players realized the potential money that could be made with collaborations with Jordan. The Jordan Effect had made its mark.
